Whoever You Think I Am, I Am Not, And Never Will Be
by Speckleflower
Summary: The scene unfolded in slow motion, both Adrien and Alya falling. I have to save them! But in a split second she realised that they were too far apart for her to grab them both with her yoyo. She needed to pick one to save: her best friend, or the love of her life. How do you pick between that? Her thoughts were interrupted by a flash of purple in the corner of her eye- Hawkmoth?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is a story that I'm writing with anonymousfriend27. It's gonna be multi chapter, so stay tuned :)**

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Chat Noir

Chat Noir struggled, but he couldn't free himself from the web. He twisted to glance at his miraculous, every beep like a gunshot, reminding him that he was going to detransform, with all of Paris watching! At least his big reveal wouldn't be recorded; Alya, who normally recorded every attack, was stuck as well. Far below him, Anansi grappled with Ladybug and the new turtle hero, but Alya's akumatised sister was gaining an edge. Soon, they would be overpowered. They needed Cat Noir and his pawsomeness. Unfortunately, the superhero in question was a little preoccu_paw_ed. _Still on top of the cat puns, while in danger of revealing my identity. Ladybug will be overjoyed! _That was just his nature. But now the risk was real. He started breathing heavily, and Alya called from somewhere to his right, "You good, Chat Noir?"

_No, I am so not good._

"Yeah, of _claws _I'm okay," he laughed. "Ladybug's got it covered." But inside he was panicking. His Cataclysm still bubbled in hand, and he was careful not to touch the web in case he destroyed it, causing him and Alya to fall and be smashed on the ground. He heard his miraculous beep, and he knew that he was on his last minute before he detransformed. Below him, Ladybug and the turtle hero were being pushed back, away from him and Alya. Chat Noir held his breath as she had to duck behind the turtle, their only defence being his shield. Anansi loomed over them.

Chat Noir felt completely helpless. All he wanted was to protect Ladybug, and to protect Paris. If he couldn't get free, and he couldn't save Alya, then there was only one option left- to be a distraction. He didn't want to endanger Alya, but Chat Noir could think of only one other way to get Anansi's attention, other than destroying the web.

He'd have to detransform early, take Anansi by surprise.

He took a deep breath, knowing that he shouldn't do it, that he _couldn't_. _I must_, he thought. "Ladybug," he called, she looked up at him, and Chat Noir smiled, "I'm sorry." She looked confused, the beginning of a question forming on her lips. Anansi aimed another blow at her head, and she was forced to look away. It didn't matter, Chat Noir knew she would know what he was doing as soon as he did it.

He closed his eyes for a moment. He knew that if he did this, everyone would know his identity- Ladybug, Hawkmoth, his father, his friends. They would all know. _It's going to happen anyway_, he told himself, _don't be a coward_. Purposely raising his voice, he shouted his detransformation phrase, "Plagg, claws in!"

Plagg tumbled out from his miraculous, noticed where they were, noticed his situation, and swore. "Oh Adrien," he sighed. "What have you got yourself into?"

Everything was silent suddenly, as his identity was revealed to the whole of Paris. Adrien met Ladybug's eyes, seeing not only confusion, but something deeper he didn't understand. He motioned to Anansi with his eyes, knowing if she was going to make her move, it would have to be quick. She seemed to recover from her shock, and sprung on Anansi, tearing her headgear from her head, and throwing it to the floor, where it shattered, releasing the akuma.

"Adrien? You're Chat Noir! Wow!" He heard from above him, and he looked away from Ladybug de-evilising the akuma. Alya was staring at him, eyes wide with amazement. Before he could answer, Plagg zoomed right in front of his face. "What did you just do?" The kwami asked incredulously, "Of all the options, you thought _that _was the best one?" Adrien frowned at Plagg, unsure how to reply. Eventually, he found the right words, "You know how I feel, Plagg. I had to protect her, I love her."

Plagg sighed, resting against Adrien's neck. "I'm sorry, Adrien. You're right, you made the right choice." Adrien grinned despite his situation, "Did you just admit you were wrong-" he began.

"What is that talking to you?" Alya screamed. Adrien couldn't help but laugh. He always forgot that people didn't know about kwamis, remembering the few times that he had almost slipped up when talking about akuma attacks with his friends. Plagg flew up so he was level with her face, startling her. "I'm Plagg and I'm a kwami, a divine creature who's power is contained in a jewel, known as a miraculous."

Alya was silent. "That's… ridiculous," she said finally, laughing. Plagg floated back to Adrien, muttering something about his damaged ego. Adrien surveyed the scene below him. Ladybug had used her Lucky Charm earlier in the battle, although Adrien couldn't tell what it was. She threw it into the air, shouting, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

_Oh no_, he thought briefly, before the web had even started to disappear. The magic of the Ladybug miraculous surrounded him, temporary blinding him. Adrien knew he was going to fall, and there was nothing he could do. He closed his eyes against the look of horror on Ladybug's face as began to fall, not wanting it to be the last thing he saw. He wanted to remember her kindness, and her selflessness, as he died, not her guilt.

The web disappeared from behind him, and he felt cold air rush up past him as gravity took hold and he fell. _This is it_, he thought. He felt tears pinch his eyes. He didn't want to die; he wanted to live on, to keep fighting with Ladybug. Plagg hadn't moved from his shoulder, although Adrien knew that he'd definitely had time to fly away. Adrien felt a surge of gratitude for his kwami, feeling his reassuring presence until the end. If he was going to die, he was glad he had his best friend with him. Plagg solemnly flew forward so he was level with Adrien's face and they locked eyes, Adrien found calm in Plagg's blazing green steady gaze. Together until the end.

Of course, all of these thoughts had taken place in mere seconds. Adrien knew he must have almost hit the ground by then, and he was ready- as ready as he could be- but then he saw Plagg's eyes widen, a purple flash, and then something slammed into him, sending pain shooting through his ribs. His vision went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, so, welcome to the second chapter of Whoever You Think I Am, I Am Not, And Never Will Be!**

**Also don't forget that this is written by anonymousfriend27 as well! We're just posting it on my account. Yesterday it was on both of our accounts but thanks to tpt player 5701 we realised that wasn't actually allowed, so... yeah, it's not on hers anymore.**

**And also go look at anonymousfriend27's stuff, after you read (and hopefully enjoy and review?) this :)**

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Ladybug

"On your left, turtle boy!"

The green- clad hero grunted while deflecting Anansi's attack with his shield. "Call me… Carapace."

"Carrot… face?" Asked Ladybug in bewilderment. Then she realised. "Oh, ok, yeah, yeah, Carapace. Ok, I like it." _Wow, that was embarrassing._

She glanced up at Chat Noir, she really needed him right now. He called to her. "Ladybug, I'm sorry." _For what? It's not his fault he got caught-_

"Plagg, claws in!"

_No! _She stared as a green glow surrounded her partner, the light receded, revealing… Adrien. Ladybug almost fell over from shock. _Chat Noir is the boy I'm in love with! _Adrien urgently motioned to Anansi with his eyes. She flinched, shaking herself out of the paralysis caused by the revelation of Chat Noir's identity, and wrenched Anansi's headgear off her head, smashing it on the ground. In a daze, she purified the akuma, letting muscle memory take over, and waved goodbye to it, not really registering what she was doing. She grabbed the lucky charm from the floor, and flung it into the air, shouting "Miraculous Ladybug!". As soon as it left her hand, her vision cleared, as if a veil had been lifted and the colours around her had sharpened. She stared at the web. Anansi had caused that, meaning it was due to disappear any second. And Adrien and Alya were stuck to it, at least 20 metres above the ground. The web shimmered and vanished.

The scene unfolded in slow motion, both Adrien and Alya falling. _I have to save them! _But in a split second she realised that they were too far apart for her to grab them both with her yoyo. She needed to pick one to save: her best friend, or the love of her life._ How do you pick between that? _Her thoughts were interrupted by a flash of purple in the corner of her eye- Hawkmoth?

At first she didn't understand what he was doing, but then he smashed into Adrien, slowing his descent. She furrowed her brows, confused by what she was seeing. Alya screamed, and Ladybug responded automatically, looping her yoyo around the top of the Arc de Triomphe and swinging herself beneath it to catch her.

Ladybug set Alya down near Nino, immediately searching for where Adrien and Hawkmoth had landed. Adrien. Adrien was Chat Noir. Oddly, she found that while she was shocked, she wasn't surprised. Adrien was a lot like her; often late, sometimes found talking to himself, and sometimes randomly disappearing without explanation. The only thing that surprised her was that she hadn't noticed before.

Adrien was wordlessly towering over Hawkmoth, who was holding his leg, clearly in pain. She joined him, trying not to look at Adrien too much so she didn't get flustered and lose her rationality. She hoped that her shock didn't show too much either, and that she still looked confident, although she knew that they never would have been in this situation if she'd thought about what she was doing before doing the miraculous cure. She would leave her guilt for later.

Hawkmoth

Hawkmoth gaped. His grip on his staff loosened, and clattered to the ground, the sound echoing of the walls of his lair. Chat Noir was Adrien. His son. Adrien was stuck to a web, suspended high off the ground. Seconds ago, he had been laughing as the hero was stuck, now he was horrified as the hero, his son was in immediate risk of falling. Then he saw Ladybug grab Anansi's headgear and slam it on the ground, releasing the akuma. It was probably better, Hawkmoth didn't really care about Anansi right now, he was focussed on getting Adrien to safety, then possibly having a long talk with him. Then he remembered where Adrien was. He looked through Anansi's eyes one last time before the connection blurred and severed as the akuma fluttered back to him. When Anansi became the girl again and Ladybug did the miraculous cure, the web would disappear, Adrien would fall to his death, Hawkmoth couldn't even begin to imagine all the negative emotions this would cause, and for once, this didn't excite him. On the contrary, it terrified him.

The akuma had already left. He had seconds.

He sprinted towards his window, closing his eyes for the inevitable impact, and crashed through, his legs were in the motion of running before he hit the rooftops, and he sprinted towards the Arc de triomphe, which loomed larger in the distance. As he neared it, he almost sobbed with relief as he saw that the web was still there- Ladybug hadn't yet done the miraculous cure, which would make all of the damage caused by the akuma disappear, in this case it was the giant webs everywhere. But his relief evaporated, to be replaced by horror as he saw the swarm of red swirling upwards from the now visible Ladybug. _Almost there. _He forced himself to sprint even faster, begged his limbs to work even harder. His heart thudded as he saw the web shimmer, and disappear. Adrien fell. Hawkmoth leaped, praying he had timed his jump right. And he slammed into Adrien's side, knocking him sideways. But they were still falling too fast. He could only roll over so he was facing up, to cushion the fall, taking most of the impact. Saving Adrien was the only thing that mattered. He clutched Adrien tight to his chest and closed his eyes, squeezing out a hot tear. Then he slammed into the ground and blacked out.

Hawkmoth opened his eyes, then immediately shut them again as the sun shined directly into his face. Everything hurt. He held his son in his arms, not sure whether he was alive. _No! He has to be alive! _He had tried to be gentle- well as gentle as possible when jumping into a boy falling from a monument at high speeds, but landing his jump while holding Adrien was impossible. He forced his eyelids apart, and lay there, winded, coughing. Adrien groaned, slowly sitting up. He blinked at Hawkmoth, eyes widening. As he registered where he was, he instantly scrambled back, hands pressed to his side, eyes bright with fear and fury.

Hawkmoth tried to ignore the pain he felt as Adrien rejected him, reminding himself that Adrien didn't know it was his father under the mask. _No, he just thinks you're his mortal enemy_, he thought, certain that that wasn't any better. Hawkmoth scowled as he tried to get up, but couldn't. Tentatively moving his left leg, Hawkmoth cried out in agony, unable to contain it. For a moment, he was sure he saw Adrien's eyes soften, an ounce of sympathy there.

Ladybug appeared next to him suddenly. Hawkmoth frowned, not sure whether she'd already known Adrien's identity, or whether she was just very good at hiding her surprise. The girl who had been trapped in the web and the turtle landed behind them, but didn't come any closer. "You saved my life. Why?" Adrien demanded. Hawkmoth chuckled menacingly, but responded truthfully, "I don't want people to die, I'd never let an akuma attack get that far." Ladybug didn't look convinced, and Hawkmoth felt anger flood him. "I wouldn't let him die!" he insisted. _He's my son_, he thought, _it doesn't matter that he's Chat Noir_.

"I wouldn't put it past you to kill someone- you're a villain." Ladybug told him. Hawkmoth smiled at her before laughing. He had still managed to wrest himself into a position of power while lying injured on the ground. She looked confused, taken aback by his reaction. "You heroes," he said, slightly hysterical, "You've never even asked what I want." Adrien stepped forward, looking down at Hawkmoth as if he was dirt. "Then what do you want, Hawkmoth?" He spat.

Hawkmoth seemed to sober at this question, his smile faded and his shoulders slumped. He leaned on his staff to push himself up off the floor with great effort, trying to put as little weight on his left leg as possible, holding his foot a few inches in the air, wincing as his vision momentarily flashed white from the pain. "I want to save my son's mother," he whispered.

"I don't want to hurt people. I just want her back." His voice cracked, a combination of his injury and his emotions making him unsteady. None of the heroes spoke, looking from him to each other in confusion. He could tell they were clueless on how to act next. And so was he.

Adrien

Ladybug advanced, getting closer and closer to Hawkmoth, who had fallen to the floor, clutching his leg. "Let's see who you really are, Hawkmoth," said Ladybug coldly. Adrien looked terrified as Ladybug reached forward to take Hawkmoth's miraculous. Suddenly they saw a violet flash, and they all stared as Mayura swooped down. She grabbed Hawkmoth's arm, while lashing out viciously at Ladybug, who was closest, with her fan. Then she leaped away, taking Hawkmoth with her. Ladybug made to swing after them, a look of rage on her face, but Adrien put a restraining hand on her arm. "There's no need," he murmured. "I… I know who they are."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, we're back! (Speckle and Anonymous) Sorry for not updating for weeeeks! *sigh* If you knew what we've been doing while keeping you guys waiting. (Mind maps, timelines, video chats, and many folded up pieces of paper covered in scribbles (that needed to be deciphered and typed up) were involved)**

**Anyway, here's some fluff! (But angst will soon dominate *cackles evilly*)**

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Adrien

"What do you mean, you know who they are?" Alya asked incredulously. Adrien opened his mouth to answer, releasing Ladybug who was watching him, looking slightly dazed. Shaking her head, and smiling to herself, she grabbed his hand- snagging Alya's arm as she passed- and dragged them away from the empty square.

Adrien knew he was lucky that the city had got so used to akuma attacks, the evacuation more muscle memory than anything, so there was no one to see his identity revealed.

Except Hawkmoth…

The hand in Ladybug's felt so warm and perfect; he always longed for moments like this, little moments of affection, even if it was out of necessity. He could at least relish the fact that Ladybug was holding_ his hand_, while she only had a hold on Alya's shirt sleeve. Adrien couldn't help but notice how Carapace kept close behind Alya, eyes flickering around as if he was looking for some sort of threat. For a first time hero, he was awfully good at it.

Hovering just behind her, Carapace smiled, sighing in relief, something that sounded oddly familiar. Adrien raised an eyebrow at him, seeing how protective he was. It was almost as if he knew her- as if he… loved her. Maybe that was why he recognised it. Carapace wanted to save the girl he loved, just like Adrien tried to do every akuma. He wondered if Alya knew he loved her, but as far as he knew, the only person who had enough confidence to confess to her was Nino.

Ladybug pulled them into an alleyway, and Adrien relaxed, finally out of sight. "It's safer to talk here," she explained, "If Paris hasn't realised Anansi's gone yet, it won't be long now."

With a slight frown, she turned to Carapace. "You can detransform," she glanced at him, "There's not much point with secret identities anymore."  
"You're right, Ladybug." The voice came from above them, causing all four of them to look up. There, floating calmly, was a purple kwami- Hawkmoth's kwami… his father's kwami. "Hawkmoth and Mayura already know who Adrien is, and I doubt it will take long for you three to be revealed too."

Ladybug nodded solemnly, holding her hand out for the kwami. He settled after a moment of hesitation. "Are you okay, Nooroo?" She asked, and he nodded, falling silent.  
"Hang on a second!" Carapace exclaimed, Nooroo squeaking at the sudden noise, "You said 'you _three'_, but only Ladybug and I are here. What do you mean?" Adrien spun on his heel, Alya breaking down into hysterical laughter. She bowed dramatically, "Rena Rouge, at your service."

Carapace's jaw dropped, and Ladybug giggled. "Shell off." He whispered, voice hoarse from shock, and then it was _Nino_ standing in front of Alya.

Ladybug

Ladybug watched with an amused smirk as Alya and Nino stared at each other. Adrien looked equally incapacitated, and another laugh escaped her lips. She instantly regretted letting it out, when Adrien looked across to her, catching her eye before she could look away as she usually did. She wanted to look away more than anything, but her partner's eyes were locked on hers, searching for something she didn't know how to give him.

How was she going to fight while she was so distracted by him? It was so much easier when all she had to do was care about him as a friend, but now she had to admit that she loved him- it had been so much easier when he'd been just her partner, and nothing else. Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of Adrien's kwami, who flew up to her at eye level, so that all she could see was his glowing green eyes. "Hey Pigtails!" he called, "Got any cheese?"

Adrien groaned, and Ladybug peered around Plagg to see him blush. It was probably one of the strangest things she'd even seen- Ladybug couldn't remember the last time she'd seen either Chat Noir, or Adrien, embarrassed. "No, Plagg," she replied, holding up Nooroo, "But I have got you a friend."

Plagg zipped through the air, laughing in disbelief and taking Nooroo away from all the humans, muttering, "Humans are basically fleshy lumps anyway, but those four are some of the most blind I've encountered." Adrien chuckled, fixing his gaze on her again. She shifted, uncomfortable. She knew what was coming.

"You're the last one, M'Lady." Adrien stated, motioning to Alya and Nino, who seemed to have stopped hugging and actually joined the conversation, "Will you show us?" His words were gentle, if not a little desperate, and she knew they were a question, not a demand. "I- I-" She took a deep breath, trying to control her stuttering and something she hadn't thought of before popped into her head. Panicking at first, she managed to keep a straight face. "Okay," she told him, feeling a spark of confidence. Adrien blinked at her, eyes wide, "You're being serious?" Ladybug nodded.

"Honestly, I didn't think I could do it," she confessed, "I just remembered something." With- what she hoped was- a mischievous grin, she added, meeting Adrien's eyes, "I kissed you _twice_." She looked away before she could see his reaction, seeing Alya rubbing her hands together in anticipation, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"I want Chat to know first," she stated, tugging him further down the alleyway away from their friends' watchful gazes, "Come on, Chaton."

Adrien

Ladybug led him away from Alya and Nino, and he tried to clear his head so he could concentrate. Too much had happened in the last hour- his identity had been revealed, then his father and Nathalie, Alya and Nino, and now Ladybug.

"You ready, Minou?" she asked, stopping but not letting go of his hand.

"Wait." He said, twisting his fingers through hers. He was surprised that she'd actually let him do it- she'd usually pull away by now. "Do you know me outside the mask?" He asked, looking at his feet. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, more that he was confused. As soon as she'd seen it was Adrien under the mask, she'd started acting differently- more… hesitant, nervous even. Was it because he was a celebrity and his status scared her? Or maybe she didn't like him? Yeah, what if she didn't want to upset him by saying she didn't want him as a partner anymore? What if she thought he was a failure for not being able to protect his identity?

"Yes, I do know you," she told him, and Adrien couldn't help but hold his breath and wait for the 'but', "And if I hadn't fallen in love with your civilian form, I don't think I would've been able to stop myself from being with you."

Adrien choked on the air that he involuntarily pulled into his lungs, his chest burning. "You- I- love me?" Ladybug giggled as he struggled to form a coherent sentence, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

"Tikki, spots off."

In a pink flash, Ladybug was replaced by _Marinette_. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was _Ladybug_. "M-M-M-Marinette?" He pulled her into a tight hug, laughing at himself for not seeing it sooner, "My Princess is M'Lady!"

**Ok, so more is coming soon, maybe tomorrow, because there's another part to this scene, but the chapter was becoming long and we just wanted to post before getting simultaneously yelled at by parents to go to sleep :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Anonymous: Hawkmoth doesn't want cats to bask.**

**Speckle: Ok, let me explain. We were at school, and like the cat she is, anonymous was curled up, basking in the sun on a bench with her eyes shut. And oh, I need to explain Hawkmoth. So we kinda assigned characters from Miraculous to random people in our school. And our deputy head wears this bowtie thing which looks kinda like Hawkmoth's miraculous, so we just call him Hawkmoth now. Anyway, he walked past anonymous basking, and he was like "that looks like a pleasant place to sunbathe" and scared her so much (her eyes were closed), and then he just walked away while she was literally hyperventilating.**

**Ok here's the chapter :)**

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Hawkmoth groaned as another spike of pain shot up his leg, and fired questions at Mayura, who was standing about 2 metres away on the roof, arms crossed. After she had literally dropped him on the roof (ow), she had instantly stalked away, and now she was just regarding him coolly.

"Why did you save me? You're not supposed to have the peacock miraculous! What was about to happen just now was necessary!"

Mayura snorted, rolling her eyes. "You're welcome."

"Nooroo, dark wings fall."

"Duusu, fall my feathers." She commanded, sounding miffed.

Gabriel stared at his leg. It was bent at an unnatural angle. And wait- was that a shard of bone sticking out? Yes. Yes, it was. Why was he being so calm about it?

Suddenly, he felt a wave of nausea, as if his brain had only just caught up with what his eyes were seeing, and he could no longer look at the glistening- eww, he couldn't believe he had described it like that.

"Um. Ow." He said, pathetically.

_Ohhhh_, mouthed Nathalie as she saw his leg, all traces of her previous mocking gone. "Are you-"

"Are you asking me if I'm okay? What do you fricking think?" Gabriel snapped through the haze of pain.

"That's not what I… ok, that is what I was asking," she admitted. "Just trying to keep the tone light, you know?"

"No! I don't!"

"How did you even do-" she waved vaguely in his direction-"that, though?"

"Aaaghhh! I don't know, ok? I just, I had to save Adrien-"

"Master?" Inquired Nooroo.

When he didn't reply, the kwami signalled to Duusu for her to join him, and together they drifted a few metres away, where they were obviously conferring, although Gabriel and Nathalie couldn't hear them. They understood that was intended though; the kwamis' conversation involved a lot of pointing at them and arm waving.

"Oh my god, this is so awkward." Nathalie sat cross legged next to Gabriel, who had his back against the wall and his face raised to the sky.

"Let's just see what the kwamis are going to say." He replied.

"Sooo," she began. "Adrien is… Chat Noir."

He sighed. "Yes."

"How do you f-"

"Feel? Honestly, I have no idea. Actually, I do. But I don't know how to say it."

After about a minute, the kwamis flew back. They glanced at each other; Duusu spoke first.

"So, here's the deal, Gabriel. We can make you better."

"Um, what?" Gabriel's mind was a little fuzzy with pain.

"Ugh, how dense is this guy?" whispered Duusu, just loud enough for Gabriel to hear.

"Duusu!" Nathalie muttered, half heartedly.

"Duusu," Gabriel flicked his eyes to the kwami. He probably would have found the peacock kwami's attitude amusing if his leg didn't feel as if it was about to be torn off. "My leg's broken, not my hearing."

"Are you implying I didn't want you to hear that?"

"Well, you were kind of turned away, talking to Nooroo, sooo..."

"Hawkmoth, of course I wanted you to hear that."

"Actually, it's _Gabriel_, at the moment."

"Ugh, technicalities."

Nooroo cut in. "Duusu, let's just… explain the healing thing."

"Ok. So, one kwami couldn't do this by themself, but two together..." she shrugged, looking at Nooroo for help, and he obliged. "Especially the combination of emotion (Duusu tossed her head), to become one with the mind's inner feelings, and transmission, to concentrate and release the energy-"

"So basically, we can heal you," finished Duusu.

The kwamis looked at Nathalie. She glanced around, as if they were talking to someone else. "Why the hell are you looking at me? Just do the thing already!"

The kwamis rested on Gabriel's leg, forcing a gasp out of him. "Ahh! I know you weigh literally half a gram, but OW!"

"Ugh," said Nooroo, turning to Duusu.

"Does he even appreciate us?" The peacock kwami sighed.

"Oh my fricking god guys!" said Nathalie. But they continued.

"Does he really deserve healing?" Nooroo's eyes glinted with mischief.

"I didn't ask you for help!" said Gabriel defiantly, although he was beginning to shiver.

"Ok then, come on Duusu." The kwamis turned away; they instantly shared a grin, expecting to hear Gabriel's voice calling them back in desperation. But all they heard was a despaired, hoarse whisper. "You're right. I don't deserve it."

That was what made them turn back.

Nooroo and Duusu perched on his leg and this time he didn't flinch. They faced each other, holding hands, and shut their eyes, concentration clearly on their faces. A soft, pulsing glow surrounded them. Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut tight, biting his tongue in an effort not to cry out at the intense pressure he felt in his leg. When he thought he could bear it no more, he heard a crack, and the pressure lessened. He unclenched his fists, leaving grooves in his palms, then instantly tightened them again as another wave of pain took over.

"Can you like, keep it down? I don't like those noises!" Nathalie cringed when she heard the crack, covering her ears.

"I'm trying to reattach this random piece of bone to my leg here Nathalie!" Gabriel protested without opening his eyes, which he screwed up tighter, feeling faint.

"Actually, _we_ are!" hissed Nooroo. "And can you also shut up so _we_ can do it?"

Again, Gabriel would have laughed at the feisty tone in his usually meek kwami's voice. Or maybe he wouldn't, since he was the reason why Nooroo was always so subdued. Possibly his mind was just playing games with him. _Oh no, I am so not going delirious on a rooftop with my assistant and two supernatural beings, one of them slightly deranged. Hmm. Which one is that?_

Gabriel willed his mind to be quiet, which was extremely difficult.

"Who do you think we are: Tikki?" asked Duusu, jolting him back to reality. "We're not the healing, creating kwamis, you know! I'm the kwami of fricking emotion! I can feel he's hurt, but what can I do about that? I need Nooroo to transfer the power, and even then, it's difficult!"

_Ok, that's the deranged one, for sure._

_Can you not? _He asked his mind_._

"Ok, ok, fine! I won't disturb you!" Nathalie backed away.

"And it doesn't help that Nooroo hasn't been used for anything good for like, I don't even know how long!"

_Thanks for reminding me._ All of Gabriel's muscles simultaneously tensed.

"Duusu," murmured Nooroo. "Not helping."

After a few more seconds, he spoke softly. "Gabriel, we're done."

He opened his eyes tentatively, exhaling in relief to see that he was healed. There was no more shard of bone sticking out; there wasn't even a mark. "Th- thank you," he stuttered. Shakily, he got to his feet.

Nathalie spoke quietly. "Duusu, you left me out in that. It wasn't just Gabriel and Nooroo… I wasn't treating you very well." She fixed her eyes on the floor.

"Oh no Nathalie, you were nice to me! It wasn't your fault you were so willing to do anything for Gabriel!"

"Um, it kind of was. And that's not really an excuse for being… a villain."

"Were you a villain though?"

"Duusu, we are not doing this again."

"Speaking of doing anything for someone," piped up Nooroo, seemingly as if he disliked where this conversation was going. "Gabriel, I think… what you did for Adrien was… very admirable. And loving."

"Well, I had to save him!"

"Yeah, you literally hurled yourself off a building to save him," put in Duusu.

"Everyone has people who would risk their lives for them," said Nooroo earnestly.

"No one would do that for me." Gabriel stared at the ground.

"Well, someone would," said Duusu, smirking.

"Um, who?" He looked up at her mischievously glinting abnormally large eyes.

Duusu looked pointedly at Nathalie, who frantically waved her hands through the air, eyes wide, mouthing, _no, no, stop!_ Gabriel followed Duusu's gaze to Nathalie. "Er..."

"Well, it's obviooouuus," Duusu sang as she did a somersault in the air, clearly enjoying this."She's in love with you so-"

"What?" Gabriel yelped.

"Duusu!" screamed Nathalie.

"Oh sorry, you didn't know?" squeaked Duusu, not looking sorry at all.

"Um." He darted a look at Nathalie.

"Ugh," she looked away, controlling the urge to jump off the building right then.

"Natha-."

"Just shut up, Gabriel."

He shut up.

But not talking only made the gears of his brain turn faster.

Defeat thudded in his chest, and it hurt. But he didn't turn it away. He accepted it.

"Nathalie, I've been so blind. Emilie's gone."

What she said next was not what he expected.

"No she isn't!" She said through gritted teeth, as if she was in pain.

"Wha-"

"You may have given up, Gabriel, but I haven't." She was holding her arm a little weirdly, as if it hurt. Duusu seemed to notice, making bug eyes at her and they shared a look; Nathalie glanced at Gabriel and waved her kwami away with a hand, but she remained close.

Then, in an instant, the sky turned obsidian, and it was illuminated, silhouetted with an intricate symbol. It was a hexagon with a diamond star glittering inside, encompassed in a writhing fiery circle. It was blinding white, but at the same time it shimmered with a mirage of other blushes and hues. It was both mesmerising and chilling, making the hairs on the back of Gabriel's neck stand up. He glanced at Nathalie, believing he would see the same confusion that he knew was on his face, but the only thing he could read clearly in her eyes was… recognition. And fear- Nathalie looked terrified, her eyes frozen on the sky, mouth slightly opening, moving silently but no sound coming out.

"I- I'm leaving now." Her voice cracked in fear and she began to back away.

"What- who…?"

"You don't understand, Gabriel. You never have. It's bigger than getting Emilie back. It always has been."

"What do you mean?"

"Emilie was the key. He needed what she knew. But that was only the stepping stone."

"He?"

She didn't answer, instead she pointed up at the symbol, etched ominously against the sky. "Once _he_ finds you, you can't escape."

"Nathalie… what?" Nathalie rolled up her sleeve, on the inside of her forearm, unmistakably, was the same symbol, it was jet black, and as Gabriel stared at it, it seemed to squirm and intensify, coiling around the ghostly pale skin of her arm. She tugged down her sleeve, wincing, looking at him desperately.

"What does-" Gabriel gestured upwards- "That, have to do with Emilie?"

"Emilie was in it too."

"Emilie? In what?"

"When she fell into a coma, he- he wasn't happy. He told me to bring her back."

"Whatever it is, you can leave… find a new destiny."

"No, he- he doesn't let you." She took a breath, before saying with a wavering voice, "Duusu, spread my feathers!"

She transformed in a deep blue flash. Her attire was different, but her expression remained the same- drained and scared.

"Wait!"

"Don't try to stop me! Goodbye, Gabriel." She leaped off the roof.

The symbol morphed, compressing until it shone like a star. It flared one more time, and then ebbed in pulsing waves. In a few seconds the sky was back to normal, as if nothing had happened.

"Nooroo, please go." said Gabriel. "I need time to think."

"Where?"

"I don't know. Just leave me," said Gabriel, distractedly. He sunk to the ground as Nooroo flew away in the heroes' direction, with no idea whether he would return.

* * *

**S: Oooh, the plot deepens!**

**A: Call me broken one more time, I dare you- revenge is mine!- lots of love, Duusu.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Continuation of story time: (And also 2 chapters in 1 day? Woohoo!)**

**So in Biology, we were doing a research task, and anonymous was like, can we get on google docs? And I was like huhhh? And we could actually log on to it! (which is weird because loads of websites are blocked at school) So we could edit the document that we use for this fanfiction and literally post it, in a Biology lesson. But we didn't, because we're responsible. (Nope, we totally would have posted it if we had time)**

**Also, our school is closing from next week because of the coronavirus. So basically, we'll be able to write way more fanfiction! (While also doing school work of course- that's important)**

**So here's what anonymous and I like to call 'The Revelation Party'.**

* * *

Adrien felt his chest swell with happiness; he didn't even understand _why_ he was so happy that Ladybug was Marinette. He just felt so lucky. Adrien almost laughed at that- since when had _he_ been the lucky one. And did she say- "You love me?" Marinette grinned, pushing him back towards Alya and Nino without answering him. He turned around, digging his heels into the ground to stop himself from moving, and found himself very close to her. Hardly breathing, he said quietly, "Shall we talk about this later?" Marinette nodded, still smiling and giving him a playful shove backwards.

This time, he complied, using the momentum to spin so that he was facing the right direction. When Alya saw Marinette, her look of fury made Adrien flinch, but Marinette didn't even move, evenly meeting her friends eyes. "Dupain-Cheng?" Alya's face felt, and then lit up with childish glee, "Marinette! You're Ladybug! That is _so_ awesome."

"Super cool, dudette." Nino added, "And thanks for letting my help Alya." Marinette blushed under their praise, which was absolutely adorable to Adrien. He was about to remind himself that he only loved Ladybug, but then he stopped…

Marinette was Ladybug.

Adrien was sure his smile had grown to almost creepy levels of wideness, but he wasn't sure he cared. Despite that, he knew he really shouldn't be even slightly cheerful- his father was Hawkmoth.

His father had saved him! Dispelling his unhelpful thoughts, he tried to put together his explanation for how he knew.

While Hawkmoth had been on the ground, Adrien had thought about what he had said. _"I want to save my son's mother." _The words echoed in his mind, the image of Hawkmoth's pained expression- and not just from what he suspected was a broken leg- lingered. It was the way he went from cold and hard to agonised, but almost… loving? It was so familiar to Adrien, like looking at his father through a thick pane of glass; like he could finally see him clearly, but Adrien was too far away to help him.

That was _exactly_ what had happened. When his mother left, his father had disappeared, and Gabriel Agreste had replaced him. It was instant. He barricaded himself in his office- or his lair- and hid behind Nathalie.

_Nathalie_.

Nathalie being Mayura was almost worse than his father. Why was Nathalie even doing this? At least his father had a reason! Was Nathalie just doing it for the power? Had Gabriel promised her something in return?

Maybe it was just loyalty- that was one thing that led him to Mayura's identity. Adrien had never met anyone as completely devoted to her job as Nathalie- Adrien was sure that it was enough for her to disregard being a criminal for Gabriel, but why would she risk dying for him?

Then there was the Grimoire he had found in his father's safe, and his desperation to get it back. And him being akumatised just as he and Ladybug worked out that Gabriel Agreste could be Hawkmoth. It was just too many coincidences.

Adrien wasn't sure he was surprised- it made sense. But as he tried to explain his reasoning to Marinette, Alya and Nino, he couldn't quite hide the tears in his eyes. He hadn't cried yet, not since the moment he thought he was going to die, not when he first found out his father was Hawkmoth, not when he realised that that meant he wanted to save his mother. He could hardly stop himself now.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, "I know it's not the most important thing right now, it's just-" He paused, trying to gauge his partners' reactions. Adrien wasn't shocked to see Alya's horror, nor Nino's pity, but what he hadn't anticipated was Marinette's bone-crushing hug. He choked back a sob, instantly regretting it as his throat burned with unshed tears.

"I have nowhere to go," he whispered into Marinette's hair, "There's no one left."

Marinette

Marinette pushed Adrien away from her, holding him by the shoulders so he couldn't get away, which didn't stop him from avoiding her gaze. "You stupid cat," she told him quietly, placing a hand on his cheek. Adrien looked up at her, surprised. She caught his eyes, moving her hand from his face. Marinette smiled gently at his confused expression, before letting it fall away to a scowl and slapping his forehead.

"How dumb can you be?" she yelled, and he flinched.  
"Princess, I-" He began, but she shushed him, ignoring Alya's laughter in the background.

"Don't you 'Princess' me!" she growled, "What do you mean 'there's no one left'?"  
"My-my family, the-they-" he stuttered, but Marinette silenced him with a harsh glare. Alya's giggling intensified, pulling Marinette out of her rage a little.

He was just such an _idiot_. Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur hadn't been his family for _years_! And here he was, standing next to his best friends- friends who had just proved that they would quite literally _die_ for him- and he thinks he's alone?

"Adrien Agreste, your family isn't gone! We're right here." She motioned to Alya- you seemed to have managed to calm down enough to sense the serious mood- and Nino, "_I'm_ right here." Earlier this morning, if you'd told Marinette that she'd be telling her superhero partner/the boy she'd fallen in love with that she was his family, she probably would've called you a liar, and put you in the same category as Lila.

And yet, here she was... doing exactly that.

"And that means that you'll always have a home, and today that'll be mine." Adrien gaped at her, eyes wide. His arms hung limply at his sides, and for a moment, Marinette thought he was about to pass out. "If that's what you want?" she asked, his silence causing a creeping nervousness.

"Ugh, come on, kid," came Plagg's voice from above them, "She lives in a bakery- the _best_ bakery in Paris!" Adrien chuckled as Plagg settled on his shoulder, Nooroo floating nearby. Adrien nodded and, regaining some of his Chat Noir bravado, he smirked, "I wouldn't mind a couple Dupain-Cheng croissants." Picking her hand up, he kissed her knuckles, staring into her eyes intensely, "Or maybe I'll be getting something sweeter?"

Marinette snatched her hand back, bristling, "You won't be getting anything talking like that, Chaton!"  
He grinned, ignoring her tone, and bowed low, "I apologise, M'Lady." Adrien's smile widened, and he winked mischievously, "But I think my suggestion is _purr_fectly acceptable."

Marinette groaned, secretly glad he was back to puns and flirting. "No cookies for you then," she warned him, and he raised his hands in surrender. Tikki, who had disappeared into Marinette's purse as soon as she had detransformed, suddenly burst into the air. "No cookies?" she exclaimed in alarm, looking around frantically before turning back to Marinette. "No cookies?" she repeated, causing Plagg to explode into hysterical laughter.

Tikki glared at him, looking at Marinette again. She reached out to cup her kwami in her hand, feeling her reassuring weight ground her, "There's always cookies for you, Tikki," Marinette told her, "But clearly Plagg doesn't deserve any cheese when we get home."

The laughing stopped, and Adrien chuckled as Plagg fell silent. Marinette fixed her gaze on him, "And no croissants for inappropriate, little kittens either, Minou."

"But, Bugaboo…" he mumbled, pouting, "My dad's a supervillain." Had he really just pulled the 'dad card'? She wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was right- Adrien would get all the cookies she could make if it made him happier. "Pff-" Alya giggled, "Did he just call you 'Bugaboo'?"

Marinette sighed, and Tikki squealed, "Nooroo?"

Marinette had almost forgotten that Tikki likely hadn't noticed Hawkmoth's- Gabriel's- kwami when he'd first appeared.

"Hey, Tikki." He replied, rubbing his forehead, "Could you people just… stop being so... joyful?" Nooroo muttered, "It's making my head hurt."

"Nooroo, what are you doing here?" Tikki asked, ignoring what he'd said, but the purple kwami's eyes were miles away. Tikki spoke worriedly. "Nooroo, how did you escape from Hawkmoth?" Nooroo hesitated, overwhelmed, before taking a deep breath, meeting Tikki's eyes and whispering. "I didn't… escape. He- he told me to go."

"Why?" Wayzz asked in disbelief, his whisper breathless, "Why would he let you go after all this time?" Wayzz had always been a calm, comforting presence, much like Master Fu- or Nino really- and Marinette had never actually seen him look concerned, but even he looked suspicious.

"I don't know. I need to go back soon." Nooroo stated, causing a collective gasp from most of the group, except Plagg who seemed to have started choking on nothing but air.

"No, you don't!" Plagg got out eventually, earning nothing but a raised eyebrow from Nooroo.

"He'll carry on using you!" Tikki chimed in.

"No, I don't think he will. He's changed. You saw that." Nooroo said indifferently. He turned to Adrien, "He's your father, Adrien, I know you know that. He saved you just now." Adrien nodded, but Marinette was uncertain of what he actually wanted from him.

Before she could ask, Tikki added, "Why isn't Duusu with you?"

"She stayed with…" Nooroo took a deep breath. "Gabriel and Nathalie. Because two emotionally unstable people on a rooftop don't generally do very well."

"Emotionally unstable?" Plagg asked with a slight scowl. Clearly the kawmi wasn't enjoying the conversation topic. Marinette couldn't say she was either.

"Yes. Gabriel was hurt, but Duusu and I healed him. He- I think he doesn't want to be evil anymore. Not that I think he was actually evil before, but anyway, he's repenting." A satisfied smile snuck onto Nooroo's face, but it quickly disappeared, "And Nathalie- I've never understood much about her, but I know there's something she's hiding."

"They were both hiding something." Adrien snarled, angrier than Marinette had ever seen him. "So were you." Nooroo responded, unintentionally- she hoped- stirring the pot. Marinette placed a wary hand on Adrien's arm, and he whipped around to look at her, eyes blazing. "Ooo drama." Alya whispered to Nino, who sniggered.

Despite wanting to look away, Marinette knew she had to defuse the situation. She also knew that this could end very badly- Nooroo was a magical creature whose power had been carefully controlled for many years, and Adrien had been trapped by his father for just as long. This was going to require caution; they were both loaded guns, and being pointed at each other was sure to end in an explosion.

"Let go, Marinette," Adrien commanded.  
"No." Marinette stated, standing her ground, "We don't have time for this."  
"He's defending Hawkmoth." Adrien hissed, glaring at Nooroo, "That _sick_ monster."

"He's defending your father, Adrien, not Hawkmoth." Marinette told him gently, sighing discreetly as his anger dimmed, "I'm not asking you to forgive him, but I have a feeling there's more to this that we thought." Adrien nodded to his feet, Nooroo floating hesitantly near his shoulder.

"I'm going." Nooroo told them, raising his chin to show his defiance, "It is my decision." Marinette smiled as he rushed away, half wishing he'd at least stay to explain a little more. She let out a deep breath, taking Adrien's hand. She wasn't sure why it was so different now she knew he was Chat Noir… they'd always just _clicked_.

Perhaps, it would've been the same with her and Adrien if she'd got past her crush earlier. Maybe they'd be just as in sync. Marinette grinned to herself, leading Adrien to the bakery, and hoped that it wasn't too late for them to learn.

* * *

**S: Imagine if we accidentally left some of our random hmm/lol/haha/random conversation comments from the google document on it when we posted.**  
**A: We can just put it in brackets and put A/N or something. It would be pretty great.**


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